Aftermath
by Jeanie130
Summary: Spoilers! For anyone who hasn't seen season 2! The team struggle with the loss of Shiro. Keith is struggling more than the others, mostly because he is starting to have blanks in his memory and large, purple patches appearing all over his body. Will the team survive this very new, very alien situation...
1. Chapter 1

Author note: Okay, here goes nothing. Hi! I'm Jeanie, and as you can see, I'm new here! This will be my first fanfiction on this site, so feedback (positive and negative) will be very helpful. Without any further ado: my first story!

Disclaimers: I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of the characters in this story. (There is only one, minor character that I created for the purpose of the story.)

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 **Chapter one:**

 **(Keith's POV)**

I… I still can't believe it. Well, I guess after everything that has happened, I can believe it. I just can't accept it. I don't want to…

But, no matter how many times I close my eyes and beg for it not to be true, Shiro is still gone. Lost somewhere. Alone.

I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of those poisonous thoughts. It doesn't really work. I had locked myself in my room, after we found out that the black lion was empty. That was probably three days ago. At least I think it was three. I don't really care anymore and I'm sure the others aren't doing any better. No one has knocked on my door yet, so I'm assuming that they need some space too. This situation is so messed up! I mean, we defeated Zarkon.

Actually defeated him. We were supposed to be celebrating! But, instead we're all mourning.

You want to know the worst thing about this? All I can think about is myself. One of my closest friends disappears, and all I can do is worry about myself.

I'm so disgusted with myself -

A sudden wave of pain shoots through my body. I curl up into a little ball, biting down on my lip. I wait it out, or at least I try to. I let out a gasp as another wave of pain hits me. Slowly the blinding pain begins to subside. I take a deep breath in and try to relax my sore muscles. This makes it the fifth time in an hour. It's getting worse…

The pain has been going on for about four or five weeks now, steadily growing more and more intense. At first I barely noticed it, but now, now the pain was nearly unbearable.

I slowly sit up, catching my reflection in the mirror. I look like shit. My eyes have dark bags under them and my hair is a mess. I jump up the second I notice it, nearly tripping over my own feet. I freeze, horrified by the monster staring back at me: dark purple fur covers three quarters of my face with one glowing, yellow eye. The purple still spreading

' _No_ … _no, no, no!'_ I start internally screaming. ' _How is this happening? I thought I was only part-Galra!? How… oh no, I feel dizzy-'_

I fall backwards, hitting my head on the side of the bed.

The last thing I remember is the sound of someone's voice yelling through the door.

 **(Lance's POV)**

' _I really haven't seen anyone these past few days.'_ I think to myself as I absent-mindedly walk trough the castle. I don't really know what to do with myself – this loneliness is really not good for me. But I don't want to bother anyone, not right now. Not when the wound is still so new. I sigh as I'm pulled under the waves of depression.

Everyone has something to keep them distracted.: Pidge, hasn't stopped tinkering on her countless new creations. Totally losing herself in her work.

Hunk has been baking a lot. There are some pretty impressive and delicious looking stuff, though no one really has an appetite for; anything. Anymore.

Princess Allura, wanders around the castle like a ghost, leaving Coran all one on the bridge.

And Keith, well Keith just locked himself in his room. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him at _all_.

' _Maybe I should go check up on him?'_ I think to myself as I turn right down the next hallway. The hallway that leads to our rooms. I stop right in front of his room, when I hear commotion coming from inside. It… it almost sounds like he's having a panic attack. I open the door just in time to see him fall over and hit his head. Well, I didn't really _see_ him fall, because the lights were off.

I rush forward to see if he is alright, flicking on the lights as I go. I stop dead in my tracks, this isn't Keith. The person laying on the floor is Galra, that much I'm sure of. The tell-tale purple fur, bat-like ears, claws, the whole thing. Only this one was wearing Keith's clothes. And he kind-of _looks_ like Keith – if you look at him from a certain angle... Okay, he looks exactly like him, only purple. All of this can only mean one thing, that this _is_ actually Keith.

' _Okay, calm down Lance. You know that Keith is part-Garla. No need to freak out. Your friend needs you.'_ I tell myself as I kneel down to make sure he didn't hurt himself too much.

' _Yeah, I did know that he is Garla, but I didn't know that he can look like one too…'_

I carefully lift his head to check for any signs of blood. I let out a sigh of relief when I find none. ' _Luckily the idiot didn't crack his skull.'_ I think to myself as I carefully pick him up off of the floor. I look down at him once I am fully upright. ' _He feels so...small. So helpless._ ' A feeling of intense guilt swells up in my chest. ' _How long has he been hiding this? Why would he still feel the need to hide?'_

I silently debate whether I should take him to the med Bay or not. Finally I decide it would be best to get him checked out. Maybe someone will have an idea of how to help him. The bundle in my arms started stirring. I look down, he isn't fully awake yet, and seems rather confused. The second he realised where he was and what had happened, his eyes shot open and he jumped up, trying to get away from me. And it really worked, as I hit the wall on the other side of the room with a thud. Keith, standing by the foot of his bed. One glowing - Galra eye, and one human.

"Hey, calm down. It's just me, Lance." I say in an attempt to calm him. For a moment it looks like I had gotten through to him. That moment was short-lived.

A tear ran down his right cheek, from his one human eye. That alone made me panic, but what he says nearly stopped my heart.

"Run..."

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Okay, how was that? (Any and all feedback is much appreciated)

Here's a list of songs that I listen to while writing this. (I almost always listen to music while writing, to help me express the emotions of characters and situations better. So I thought that it would be nice to list them after each chapter. Just for fun. I hope that it can give anyone who reads my story a better or deeper understanding of what is happening.)

Starset: Satellite

Starlight

(these two will probably be listed the most, because I love them)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter2 :**

 **(Keith's POV)**

I open my eyes slowly, head throbbing. My vision swimming in and out of focus ... Finally it focuses long enough to make out something.

It's a face. It's...Lance… ' _Lance, wait what? What happened?'_

Everything came flooding back at once. I jump up and push him away, desperate to get as much distance between us. I landed next to my bed. However, Lance's landing isn't as graceful. I had accidentally pushed too hard when I was making my escape, and as a result Lance was flung across the room. He hit the wall with an audible thud.

' _No! This can't be happening, not now. Not with him here…'_ I start panicking. _'I don't know what's happening. But if it's anything like what happened last night, Lance needs to get out of here. Quickly!'_

As if the pain and ever-growing patches of purple fur weren't enough torture, I've been experiencing gaps in my memory. Sometimes only small pieces go missing, others like last night, we're much bigger. At least an hour of my memory, completely forgotten. Which means I still have no idea what happened or how I managed to nearly destroy my room.

And right now, I feel like I can slip under any moment…

Lance got up. "Hey, calm down. It's just me, Lance." He says, probably trying to calm me down. He raises his arms defensively. That's when I remember my current appearance.

' _Wait, is he…is he afraid of me?'_ my heart breaks a little at the realization that he actually is scared. And it's because of me. It probably didn't help that I threw him across the room.

I feel my grip on reality start to slip. I'm going to black out again, and I have no idea what will happen after that.

Lance is still looking at me, concerned. I look away, toward my reflection in the mirror next to him. I don't look human. My right eye is still normal, but it probably won't be for much longer. The purple is spreading. Swallowing up the last of my humanity. I realize that I had started crying at some point. So, it's already starting then…

' _I need to get him out of here. Get him away from me. Now!'_

So, clinging to my last strand of consciousness, I managed one final word. And all I can do is pray that he will listen to me. Just this once. As I fade away.

"Run…"

 **(Lance's POV )**

Keith drops to the ground. The sound of his knees hitting the hard floor makes me flinch. I move to catch him before he smashes his head into the floor. _'Something is seriously wrong with him. Something even worse than the purple skin…'_

"Let's get you to a med-pod." I mumble to myself as I get ready to move him. I quickly check his temperature with the back of my hand. He doesn't seem to have a fever… His eyes shoot open. Glowing orbs of molten metal, filled with no emotion other than hate.

"Whaa- " I jump back in surprise, letting Keith fall backwards.

He slowly sits up. A terrifyingly creepy smile on his face. I hurriedly try to get away, like a deer that has just wandered into the lion's den, only to find their exit blocked. My back hits the wall and I find myself staring at the precious little space between us. Between me and the _monster_ that has consumed my friend.

For a split second I found myself wondering if the Keith I had spent so much of my time with over these past months, has… has always been _just_ a lie. That _this_ is his true form...

' _No! This isn't Keith. Not the Keith I know. This is someone…something else. It has to be! I won't accept thi-'_

I am pulled from my thoughts by a low, threatening growl. The horrible sound of a predator about to pounce. I look up and see that, sure enough, Keith -or rather the monster possessing him- is going to do just that. The manic smile still on his as face he lunges forward, claws and fangs bared.

 **(Pidge's POV)**

I look up from my computer and sigh for what has to be the 100th time today. _'I am sooooooooooooooooo bored!'_ I think to myself as I play with my pen. Spinning it around in my hand. _'Maybe I should go see if anyone else is as bored as I am. Maybe Hunk and I can work on money of our projects, or I can ask Lance if he wants to play some games. Even talking about different conspiracy theories with Keith will be nice. Huh, come to think about it, I've hardly seen Keith-'_

I am pulled from my thoughts by screaming. Horrible screams of absolute terror replace the silence of the castle. My blood runs cold. The screams sound like something out of a horror movie- and not one of those horrible ones we like to make fun of… these screams were so much worse.

I'm up, running before I even have time to think about what could possibly have happened. With my heart pounding in my chest, I silence my racing mind. Now's not the time to think about what-if's…

I meet up with Hunk, Allura and Coran along the way. All of them look extremely pale as we rush to the source of the horrible sounds- Keith's room. When we finally arrive, the whole world seems to freeze. The seen before my eyes… I don't even know how to describe it. It's the most horrific, terrifying, gruesome thing I have ever seen… I feel bile rising up, stinging my throat.

Keith's room is absolutely covered in blood. The red liquid is splattered all over the floor, walls and even the ceiling. Lance lay on the floor, barely conscious, in a pool of his own blood. Hunching over him is a Galra. A Galra, covered in Lance's blood. A Garla who is now looking at us with the a smile so sadistic, it sends a shiver down my spine.

"Lance! How the quiznack did a Garla get onto the ship?!" Hunk yells. "I don't know, but stand ready, we need to distract it to get to Lance," Allura replies, eyes fixed on the all back away when _it_ starts moving closer. It moves slowly, still on all fours, like it's playing a game. The creature's widens it's smile, revealing bloodstained teeth. Really, really sharp teeth.

Without warning, it attacks. Landing on top of Hunk, bearing its fangs. Allura manages to kick it off of Hunk's chest. The creature hissed as it hit the wall at the end of the hallway. It didn't stay down for long. Now fully enraged, it barrels down on Allura, who is just barely able to get out of the way before it's on her again. I turn, rushing to check on Lance. I fall to my knees next to him, quickly checking for a pulse. I breathe a sigh of relief when I find one, but it's weak. Coran appears next to me, eyes darting around trying to catalogue all the injuries that Lance has sustained, simultaneously checking if the healing pods will be able to save him. Finally he speaks the urgency in his voice pulling me out of my previous shock," We need to get him to a pod. Now!" Together, we carefully lift Lance up and begin to make our way to the med Bay.

Allura and Hunk are still fighting the Galra in the hallway. Both of them are already covered in scratches thanks to the creature's razor-sharp claws. It is entirely focused on the two of them. Using this as a distraction, we hurry down the hall, careful not to jostle Lance too much. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reach the med Bay. The sounds of fighting still echoing through the castle. Coming closer. Looks like it hasn't forgotten about its original plaything after all… "HURRY!" I yell desperately as Coran rushes to prepare a pod.

I look over at Lance, _'Is he- is he saying something?_ No, _he's in a lot of pain, he's probably just delusional.'_ And he _**is**_ losing a lot of blood, seeing as I am already soaked in it. This only ads to my distress. Coran runs over helping Lance into the pod. It closes with a whoosh, sealing him away. Healing him. I let out a shaky breath. My peace, however is short-lived as Allura is thrown through the door of the med Bay, shortly followed by Hunk.

The creature seems slightly slower when it comes running in after them. I pull out my Bayard, activating it. Coran hurries over to check on Allura while Hunk joins me. Ready to go down fighting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **(Pidge's POV )**

' _Run… just don't stop running.'_ I repeat those words over and over in my head. I'm exhausted, but Keith is still chasing after me, and somehow he's catching up. I push myself again, giving everything I have. ' _This does_ _ **not**_ _end here!'_

I turn left down another hallway, narrowly missing sharp claws. ' _How is he not tired? We've been fighting for at least an hour now… That doesn't matter, just stick to the plan and everything will be fine.'_ Allura's words. They didn't really help, not then and definitely not now. ( Being the bait absolutely sucks! Unfortunately, that's what you get for drawing the short straw, isn't it?)

The plan _**will**_ work. I cling to that belief as I speed up once more. _'I just have to get him down one more hallway. Only one more-'_ I make one last right turn, Keith right behind me.

 _ **BAM!**_

Allura timed it perfectly. The second I ran past her she lifted her staff and one second later Keith ran right into their trap. Alurra hit him on his back, the force of the blow sent him flying – right into the sell that Coran and Hunk had set up. They activated the force field, sealing Keith in.

"What do you know? The plan _**actually**_ worked." Hunk says with a nervous laugh. He slowly slides down the wall, looking just as exhausted as we all must feel. I sit down next to him, laughing slightly at the look of utter disbelief on his face. We all sit there in silence for probably ten seconds -or ticks or whatever you want to call them.

I close my eyes, but open them again when Allura speaks, "Is every one alright?" her voice is soft, sad. Four solemn heads nod in reply. We all look at Keith, still in his Galra-form, silently scratching the force field separating us. I am overwhelmed by all the emotions that wash over me. I've never had much success with situations involving so much emotion. Especially not if they're _**my**_ emotions.

The blood on my clothes and face has already dried. Lance's blood…

"I'm going to take a shower now." I say as I get up.

No one protests.

 **(Lance's POV)**

I'm in a healing pod. How do I know that? Because it's really dark and really, _really_ cold and because of the fact that I can't move. Being in a pod isn't really the _most_ _amazing_ feeling in the world. It kind of feels like you're floating underwater- in the darkest, coldest part of the ocean- about to drown but somehow still managing to hold your breath for one second longer.

However the worst thing about being in a pod isn't really the feeling of drowning, it's the nightmares being replayed over and over. They usually just focus on the event that lead to you being in the pod. I don't know _why_ it does that though…

The memory that's currently playing out in front of me, is exactly that: the memory of what happened to me before ending up in the pod. It isn't a pretty sight. I take a deep breath as I am pulled into it. _Again_ …

Keith lunges forward. I desperately scramble to the left, screaming as his claws rip through my shirt, cutting deep into the skin on my right arm. The wound burns like fire, the blood runs down my arm like long, red ribbons.

The smell of blood fills the room. Keith – _it_ pounces again, this time I can't get away fast enough. I'm pinned to the floor. It smiles at me again, claws digging into my wrists. More blood flows down my arms. I couldn't hold back the screams as it sinks its fangs into my shoulder. I kick my legs in a futile attempt at escape… It pulls away, ripping out a large chunk of flesh. I scream at the top of my lungs. The pain is blinding. Tears flow down my face.

This only seems to please the creature. It licks its lips and takes another bite, from my left arm this time. My screaming is hysterical now. The pain is like nothing I've ever experienced, like an unstoppable wildfire it completely consumes me. I struggle to stay conscious.

The monster doesn't stop, the blood-lust is too powerful. It laughs as it rips out bigger pieces from my chest, stomach and legs. Blood covering the walls. Painting the whole world red.

Just as I'm about to give up and accept my fate, the creature stops it's feasting. It turns to look at something that I can't see. I cough up more blood. I can faintly hear someone yelling…

"Lance!" everyone yells as I open my eyes.

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author note: so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! School was a bit hectic this week.

Thank you so much for all of the reviews! They really make my day! I will definitely be continuing this story, so don't worry 😁


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **(Hunk's POV)**

A week.

One whole week.

Lance has been in that damn pod for an entire week now. 'I can't take it anymore! The silence is driving me insane.'

'Why the hell does this keep happening to us? What did we do to deserve any of this?

'If things were bad before, then I don't know what they are now…'

Silent.

Empty.

Useless.

I should have done more. The fight didn't have to be stretched out like it was. I look up at the monitor that displayed Lance's vitals. The machine is doing everything is can to save him. He'll be out soon, at least according to the same monitor. I look at Lance far as moment, his lifeless body frozen in time. My heart aches.

Useless…

 **(Keith's POV)**

I've been fading in and out. Sometimes I'm me, sometimes I'm not. I still don't know what happened to –

To Lance…

No one has come to see me. It's probably for best- I don't want them to see me. Not like this. But not knowing is making me anxious.

They've moved most of my stuff into the sell – though they had to wait for me to be me again. Quickly stuffing everything in before immediately activating the force field again. Leaving as quickly as they came.

Allura is nothing more than an empty shell, devoid of life.

Coran is broken, his cheerful personality smothered by depression.

Pidge has gone mute. Lost in a different reality

Hunk refuses to even look at me.

Lance is… is he still alive? 'What would they even do if I killed him? What would I do? No! He's still alive. If he wasn't then I wouldn't be here either…'

I look down at my hands, sharp claws instead of my usually half chewed off nails. 'That's one thing that hasn't changed. I still look like a Garla.' I let out a tired sigh, pointed fangs biting down on my lower lip until I tasted blood.

'You better be alive, Lance'

Author's note: sorry it's so short!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

( Lance's POV)

I nearly fell flat on my face when the pod finally decided to release me.

However, I was quickly caught by Hunk, who appeared almost out of nowhere. I instantly start to feel better, grabbing him in as tight a hug as I could muster. He hugged back, careful not to hurt me.

I flash him one of my classic smiles. Only then do I notice how red and puffy his entire face is. Fresh new tears already rolling down his cheeks.

"Hunk… W-what's wrong Buddy? You okay?" I mange to rasp out with my hoarse voice.

He only smiles at me through the tears, "I'm f-fine, just so… so happy t-that you are alive, Lance." he mumbles near incoherently.

I hug him again.

"Lance..?" a new voice croaks. The voice sounds almost as unused and raspy as my own, but I recognize it all the same .

"Hey, Pidge."

She runs up to me, nearly crushing me in a bear-hug. Crying all the way.

"Lance, you're alive! I was- I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever…" her voice trails off after that. Instead she just continued crying. I soon joined them in a sobbing group-hug.

"I'm alive Pidge. Look, I'm fine. Did you really think it'd be that easy to get rid of me?" I say through the tears.

Looking up I notice Allura and Coran standing in the door, both equally close to tears. The sobbing group-hug got bigger.

" Hey… Hey where's Keith?" I say, noticing his absence.

I immediately regretted my words.

The happy feeling was ripped from the room in seconds replaced by tension so thick I felt like I was choking. Everyone broke free from the hug, wiping at their eyes. Their faces each displaying a different emotion. Anger was the most prevalent.

And guilt. Varying degrees of sadness, disgust, and apathy were also visible.

Silence filled the empty space as I felt a terrible ache in my heart. 'Could they really write Keith off so easily? He's one of the team… They wouldn't do that, would they?'

"He's … he cannot be here right now Lance." Allura broke the silence.

"What? Why not?" I ask with a raised eyebrow at their strange behaviour "Let me guess: he's busy training. Right?" I manage a weak laugh in an attempt to loosen the tension that still hung over us.

"I don't know what he is doing, but that is not the reason for his absence." Is all I heard Allura say, before I was storming out of the medBay and running to our rooms.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **(Keith's POV)**

I stand over Namirr, having finally been able to beat him. My breaths are long and laboured from the exertion. The young Garla was quite big for his age so it was a very difficult task to take him down. I extend my hand to help him back up again.

"It appears that I still have a long way to go before I can beat you, Keith." He laughs as he takes my hand.

"You're getting better, I'm sure that one of these days I won't stand a chance." I say as I hoist him to his feet. He continued his laughing once he was fully upright, leading the way off of the sparring mat. "You think so?" He mused as he handed me a bottle of water.

"I'm positive, Namirr." His face lit up with newfound inspiration. "Then I'm going to train extra hard from now on!" He declared.

It has only been about nine days since I arrived at the Blade's main base. Namirr, being the overly cheery person that he is, decided almost immediately that we were going to be friends. At first he just tried to casually initiate conversation, however after his efforts proved futile he decided that the best thing to do was to simply never leave me alone.

He's a nice guy. However he can be a bit much at times….

"You two done messing around?" a feminine voice broke through the background noise of the other fights going on around us.

Farah.

I didn't recognise her by her face. In truth I have never seen her face before – thanks to her ever present mask - and according to Namirr neither has anyone else. I recognized her voice. Her voice was strong and demanding, like that of a general in an army. Her body language showed that she was confident and could easily claim dominance in any situation.

"We weren't messing around Farah! We just finished sparring and needed some water." Namirr answered. Farah only folded her arms across her chest.

"Alright, care to prove it? Would one of you like to spare with me then?" She asked unfolding her arms to grab her staff.

"No way! I'm still exhausted from my last fight. I'll have to sit this one out." Namirr chuckles as he takes another sip of water.

"I'll go." I say, to my own surprise. Before I can decide against it I push myself off the wall, making my way to the centre mat. I know that what I'm doing is crazy – especially after the last fight I had being only five minutes ago. The fact that Farah is one of the best fighters in the Blade, makes it so much worse.

We step onto the mat. The entire hall grows quite in anticipation. Though I've only been with the Blade for little more than a week, I already have a reputation. If it's good or bad depends on who you ask. Though everyone seems to agree that I'm stubborn enough to pose a threat. And no one was about to miss a fight between the number one fighter and the 'new guy'.

"With weapons or without?" Farah asked. Voice cold and calculated, a slight hint of amusement seeping through her words. A challenge.

"With." I say simply as I pull out my knife which instantaneously starts glowing, revealing the full length of the blade.

The crowd let out a collective 'Ooooo' at my answer. They know what that means. So do I.

When fighting with weapons, even if it is only training, you are allowed to physically maim your opponent. It can be quite gruesome, if the fight continues for to long. Not many people actually hurt each other when practicing, but this isn't a practice session. This is a duel. Thus, the rules applied. It was expected for us to follow through with them.

Farah only nodded her head, twisting her body into a battle stance. I did the same.

I take a deep breath. Slowly. In and out. Calming myself. In and out. I take in my surroundings: the crowd circling us, Farah directly in front of me. In and out. The thunderous cheering died down as I centred myself.

In

The weight of my sword is a comforting feeling.

And

I notice how Farah's body shook, muscle and mechanics tense, ready to strike.

Out…

Like an arrow, Farah launched forward, already swinging her staff. Unfortunately for her I was already long gone by the time her staff made contact with the ground. I jump to the right, sweeping my leg in a large arc in an attempt to knock her legs out from under her. She had anticipated this. Jumping into the air and elegantly landed behind me. Before I could move she hit the back of my head.

I am sent tumbling across the mat, nearly falling outside of the line. The blow had been powerful. I struggle out of the way just in time before a killing blow nearly took off my head. Blinded slightly thanks to the previous hit, I clumsily stumble around her. Staying just out of reach.

The world starts to blur around me as I'm sucked into the fight. Nothing else is important. I can only focus on staying far away for long enough to spot a potential opening. Unfortunately Farah didn't allow for many. Wielding her staff with extreme precision.

Finally my blade makes contact, I managed to slice a large gash across the upper half of her right arm. Confirmation came in the form of a slight hiss from Farah and a thin trail of blood that started dripping down onto the floor.

Neither of us stopped. She spun around now holding the staff in her left hand. She twisted the pole to release a set of twin blades on either end of her staff. Suddenly she lashed out, jumping to the right after feigning to the left. Catching me off guard, there was nothing that I could do to dodge her attack.

One of the blades ripped through my suit cutting a deep line down my back. Fire burned through my blood. The pain was terrible, blinding me completely. I fall flat on my face with a smack, knocking the air out of my lungs. I lie still feeling my own blood running down my back like sweat.

The hall fell silent. I can hear Farah coming closer. She probably thinks that I am unconscious. Coming to check on me. A fatal mistake…

Right as she leans down to check my pulse; I strike. I pounce on her like a deranged wild animal, hungry for blood. I struggle to concentrate as my claws rip through her suit, digging into muscle. The sight and smell of blood only pushes me further over the edge.

The next thing I know, I'm on the ground several feet away from Farah being pinned by someone. It is then that I realise what I have done - or rather tried to do.

"I'm so sorry. " I repeat those words, tears streaming down my face. I feel the slight prick of a needle in my right arm.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…"

The world fades to black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for taking absolutely forever to post again. School and exams took up a lot of my time, and I had to completely rethink how I wanted to have this story end… furthermore I apologize for any confusion caused by the previous chapter. And to answer your question: no, chapter 6 was not a flashback. It was just to answer the question in chapter 5 (where is Keith?) Anyways, thank you (every single person who has read this fic, I know it's far from the best.) Very much for reading my fic. I will do my best to finish it as soon as possible and to finish it well.**

 **Lots of love**

 **Jeanie**

 **(Pidge's POV)**

For someone who has only been out of a pod for no more than five minutes, Lance was really fast. I found myself struggling to keep up with his long strides. Lance had been in the pod for 16 days – not that much if you consider the state he was in, but to everyone outside? Those 16 days felt like an eternity. An eternity of _hell_.

In that time we managed to rip the team apart even more… I know that what we did was horrible, but after one full week of knowing that whoever did that to Lance was still in the castle.

It was just _too_ much.

"Lance! Wait up!" I yell, annoyed by his obvious attempt to ignore me. We were now nearing the sleeping quarters of the castle. Coming closer to where this all started. Lance seems oblivious to this fact. Perhaps he wants to see it for himself. I don't know if that is a good idea or not.

It probably isn't.

"Lance, can we not go there, please? Keith isn't going to be there. If you just come back to the medBay, I promise that we will explain everything. Please, just turn around!" I manage to grab his arm, this seems to have caught his attention.

"Pidge, tell me how long was I in that pod?" He says, his voice filled with sadness.

I look him in the eyes as I answer, "Sixteen days, nine hours and four minutes."

Lance only nodded, filing the information away for later. "And how long has Keith been away from the castle?" his blue eyes stare right through me.

"A- about. It should be about nine days now." I say mortified by how my voice cracked. Lance's eyes said more than actual words ever would, he was hurt. But why? He and Keith were always fighting in some way or another. They weren't friends.

And after all this; I don't even know _why_ he cares.

"So that's how far your loyalty goes." Lance says, and I'm not sure what to say back, "Lance…" the words wouldn't form. I just stood there staring at him. Fighting hopelessly to keep back the tears. I finally admit defeat when my cheeks feel wet.

"I'm sorry." I manage to squeak the words out.

"I'm so sorry, Lance. We – we just didn't know what to do … " when Lance doesn't say anything, I take it as a cue to keep talking, " It was- it was just so terrifying! We tried. We really did, but he wasn't getting better. He wasn't responding to any of us. He – sometimes he wasn't in there anymore. Something else was behind his eyes. He's with the Blade now. He's safe. They are trying to help him. I'm so sorry…" by now, I was nothing more than a sobbing mess. Lance said nothing as he hugged me.

"Thank you, Pidge. Thank you for helping him, and for saving me." I look up to see Lance smiling down at me through his own tears.

"Let's get back to the team, or rather what's left of it." Lance says with a slight chuckle.

 **(Lance's POV)**

Sixteen days. I suppose I should be relieved, it could have been a lot longer. Coran modified the pod I was in, in an attempt to help me survive. I probably still wouldn't have made it if Allura hadn't used her healing magic.

I owe my life to them. To all of them. To Pidge for carrying me to safety and to Hunk who bought us just enough time. He still has long scars up and down his arms as proof, even though he tries to hide them.

I have a few new scars too… Mainly around my stomach, but there are large ones on my arms and more on my legs. If I had been on earth, I probably would have lost my right arm and both of my legs. If the internal bleeding didn't kill me first. I shudder at the thought.

I pull my attention back to the meeting that was going on around me. Allura was busy telling the same story Pidge had just a few minutes ago. Though Allura's story was structured a little better and she wasn't sobbing all the way through. She just looked tired. Everyone looked exhausted. I suppose none of them had gotten a proper night of sleep in for two weeks now.

Apparently Keith was a big part of why no one had been able to sleep. He would scream and roar on and off for hours. Sometimes he would regain consciousness in which case he would cower into the nearest corner and cry until the monster would take him away again. The videos were horrible and I'm sure that they will haunt me for the rest of my life. The continuously switched between showing an inhuman monster banging against the walls to the cowering form of Keith trying to hide from it. The video suddenly stopped when blood sprayed against the inside of the sell walls…

"That was why we couldn't keep him here." Allura said, but her voice was barely more than a whisper. "He was scared. We all were scared. When he started trying to- to…" She struggled, not wanting to say the words. After taking a deep breath she continued, "After Keith started trying to end his own life, we knew that we had to do something. So, we contacted Colivan. He was on a mission not too far away and agreed to help us. He said that there might be someone in the Blade of Marmora who could help… He took Keith back to their base. That's where he is now. They are trying to figure out how to help him." She finished.

" Apperently, they have only ever seen a few living hybrids between a Galra and another species. But they were all half Galra and half Altean. So Keith is quite the mystery to them." Coran added.

"I'm sorry. For causing all this trouble." is all I managed to say.

" Why are you apologising?" Hunk asks. "You have every right to be mad at us. We all acted poorly over these few weeks… I know that I am not alone in saying that we all could have and should have done more."

"But you all saved me and got Keith the help that he needed-" Hunk cut me off before I could finish.

"Yeah we got him help, but only after leaving him locked up in a sell for a week. He probably thought that we all hated him. That's why he started clawing at his own neck… we pushed him into a corner and never took the time to even properly look at him. According to Colivan he had sustained major damage from our fight. He had three broken ribs and his right arm was dislocated and fractured all the way from his elbow to his wrist. We didn't even try to help him. We didn't even give him pain medication! We just left him there."

Based on everyone's horrified expressions, this was the first they had heard of this too.

"Then transmission came through three days ago." Hunk mumbled. He looked ashamed, both for his sudden outburst and for keeping the information from the others.

"I just didn't want you to think that we did everything right. We are all responsible for what happened. If we had been there for each other - If we had helped Keith instead of letting him lock himself in his room... Maybe we could have avoided all this."

The truth of Hunk's words hung heavily on us all.

I realised then that the journey ahead of us isn't going to be easy in the slightest. But I also realised that we might have a shot if we work together.

"So let's all go apologize. "


End file.
